


Green is the Most Oblivious Color

by trajektoria



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, just talk to each other smh, storage room sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 08:56:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14328987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trajektoria/pseuds/trajektoria
Summary: The galaxy is safe and everyone is partying on Meridian. Reyes can't really join the festivities, too confused about the nature of his relationship with Scott. But when someone starts getting too friendly with the Pathfinder jealousy rears its ugly head...





	Green is the Most Oblivious Color

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to [captainjennhart](http://captainjennhart.tumblr.com/) who is the best beta ever. You rock! <3
> 
> This story was written for [sunlight-mihir](http://sunlight-mihir.tumblr.com//). I hope you'll like it!

Meridian. They finally did it. Archon was nothing but a bad memory, and although the Initiative still had tons of hardships to deal with before Andromeda would truly feel like the home they were promised, those were all worries for later. Much later, hopefully.

Right now everyone had earned the right to celebrate a little.

Reyes took a sip from the glass he’d just swiped from a tray. The alcohol, some suspicious angaran brew, tasted less vile than your usual choice of drinks in Kralla’s Song or Tartarus. Seemed that the occasion was worth a little luxury. No expense had been spared to make this party memorable.

Reyes, occupying a strategic position between two escape routes, scanned the crowd. A colorful assortment of different races, talking, laughing and getting wild on the dance floor to pounding music that bled incessantly from the speakers. Not a care in the world, everyone had decided to relax and enjoy the much welcome break from the constant struggle to survive.

Reyes drank again, trying to drown the feeling of how out of place he felt here. Yes, he had brought the cavalry to the Pathfinder's aid and that earned him some goodwill with Tann and his merry group of associates, but only time would tell if something truly would change between the Initiative and the Exiles. As Kadara's uncrowned king, he would make the galaxy remember their involvement, that was for sure.

However, Reyes wasn’t here for politics.

The Pathfinder. Tired but elated, Scott Ryder rode the high of saving the cluster, his face positively beaming. He mingled with people, smiling, exchanging handshakes and energetic pats on the back with people who knew him well.

For a moment Reyes allowed himself just to soak in the sight of that beautiful man. Incredibly young, a meager twenty-two years old, but balancing the lack of experience with determination and an ungodly amount of stubbornness. The patchy stubble or those big baby blue eyes often made people underestimate him at their own peril. Scott Ryder was far more than just a pretty boy from the Initiative posters. The very reason for this party proved as much.

Seeing Scott chuckle at a joke someone made, Reyes felt the overwhelming urge to saunter over to him, sweep him off his feet and kiss those luscious lips. His memories readily supplied the image of Scott sitting on his lap in Tartarus, humming with lazy contentment as their tongues slid together languidly.

Reyes groaned into his drink. That wasn’t something he should be focusing on right now.

The intensity of his gaze must have caught Scott’s attention. The Pathfinder turned his head and stared across the room straight at him. Reyes’ heart did a somersault.

_Fuck_.

He was royally screwed.

Scott excused himself and skillfully glided towards him, meandering between people and sparing them no more than a courteous smile to avoid being detained. Faking nonchalance, Reyes fiddled with his omni-tool, waiting for the approach of his lover... or whatever he was to him.  

“Hey,” Reyes heard right in front of him.

He lifted his gaze from the screen. Scott… So beautiful that for a moment all thoughts were chased out of Reyes’ head.

“Keeping busy?”

“Crime never sleeps,” Reyes replied, shutting down the omni-tool. He kept staring at Scott, fighting the most desperate need to join their lips. If he hadn’t been a master of self-control he might have done it. All kinds of bad, a dirty Exile smooching the Golden Boy. Most people probably knew about them or had at least heard rumors, but it was something that definitely shouldn’t be flaunted here at the Initiative's shindig. Better not to push their luck. Besides, and this was the crux of the issue here, he wasn’t sure what was really between them, if what they had was serious. If they even had _something_ in the first place. For all he knew, his attempts at a kiss might end with a punch to the throat.

“What you did, Scott… That was incredible,” he said when the silence stretched between them uncomfortably.

“Well.” Scott dropped his gaze to the floor modestly, but Reyes could tell that the compliment made him blush with pride. “I wasn’t there alone. Thanks for joining the fight. I… It was quite a shock to hear your voice on the coms. I nearly swerved the Nomad right off a cliff.”

“So no change in your driving prowess, then?”

“Piss off!” Scott barked with laughter. Reyes loved that sound. He vowed to do his best to elicit it more often. When Scott spoke again, his voice was still mirthful but with an added layer of warmth. “I didn’t expect that you would come.”

Reyes nearly melted.

_Scott, I would do everything for you, can’t you see?_

“You think I would miss the party?” he said instead, his signature smirk appearing on his lips.

“Guess not.”

Reyes couldn’t properly read the expression on Scott’s face. Almost… sad? But he had no time to delve into that deeper.

“See you around, Reyes.”

With that, the Pathfinder walked away. Reyes could only stare after him like some lovesick puppy.

_Ugh._

He shook his head and finished his drink in one gulp. Ridiculous. He put the glass away, craving another shot. Or ten. His eyes, as if drawn by a magnet, kept trailing Scott. The conversation they’d just had was on repeat in his mind, all the ways he’d apparently messed up.

Scott oscillated at the edge of the dance floor, hesitating, wondering if he should join the bouncing people. Reyes cracked a smile. He had firsthand knowledge of how terrible a dancer Scott was. He hoped to be able to give him more lessons in the future.

It seemed that he wasn’t the only one with that idea in mind. Gil, the Tempest’s mechanic, materialized right next to Scott, his wobbly step a clear indication that he’d had too much to drink. Reyes knew that the man nurtured a crush the size of a planet on his boss, but never felt particularly threatened by the competition. Well, at least not until now.

Gil stepped into Scott’s personal space, slung an arm familiarly around his shoulders and dragged him towards the dance floor, whispering something into his ear that Reyes of course couldn’t hear. Scott laughed and didn’t put up a fight as they both ended up among the crowd of dancers. Reyes observed how Gil put his hands on Scott’s hips, pulling him flush against his body, both swaying erratically to the loud music.

_No_.

If Reyes hadn’t put the glass away, he would have crushed it in his clenched fist.

He knew he had no right to feel that way. He and Scott… He wasn’t sure what was going on between them. Scott didn’t treat their relationship as seriously as he had. Maybe Reyes was nothing more to him than a nice fuck, a distraction, one of many pit stops across the galaxy. But Reyes simply couldn’t stand by and watch. No. _No_. He was boiling, his veins full of molten lava.

Vision tunneled on the hands that dared to touch his man, Reyes stomped towards the couple.

“May I?” he said, a perfectly amiable and controlled smile on his face. He inserted himself between the surprised Pathfinder and displeased Gil, but the mechanic’s reaction wasn’t something he particularly cared about. “Come with me.”

“What? Now?” Scott blinked owlishly, a completely adorable expression on his face. “Where?”

“Just follow me. Please.”

Scott gave him a suspicious look, but in the end shrugged his shoulders and mouthed an apology to Gil. The mechanic pretended not to care, but gave Reyes the stink eye. Whatever. Reyes walked away, Scott hard on his heels.

Reyes wouldn’t be himself if he hadn’t checked all the available information about Meridian before coming here. A discreet sweep of the terrain helped him to find a storage room, one that was secluded and abandoned. It was precisely the type of place he needed right now.

“Reyes, what’s going on?” Scott asked as they left the party, the corridors pretty much empty, save for a handful of people on their way to some other part of the ark. Reyes remained silent. The conversation they needed to have required absolute isolation.

He tapped the code and the door to the storage room opened with a _whoosh_.

“What is this place?” Scott raised an eyebrow, lingering on the threshold. There was nothing inside but some discarded crates.

“Scott, please. Trust me,” Reyes said, hoping that the tone his voice conveyed was reassuring.

Scott responded with a pointed look. At least he still seemed to have faith in Reyes because he stepped into the room, flicking the light on. Reyes entered as well and locked the door just in case.

“Okay, Reyes,” Scott said, standing face to face with him. “What is going on?”

Reyes said nothing. Just stepped closer, took Scott’s hand into his, other arm snaking around his waist. Leading, just like that night in Tartarus, he slowly swayed with Scott to the melody playing inside his soul.

“If I say that I simply wanted to dance with you, will you be mad?” Reyes asked, a playful tone masking the true insecurities he felt.

“Seriously?” Scott rolled his eyes, but laughed. “You could have asked me on the dance floor, you know? Some creepy storage room without any music is not exactly my place of choice.”

“But here we can be alone. I can have you to myself.” No Pathfinder, no boss, no superstar of Andromeda. Just Scott. _His_ Scott. He could pretend, at least.

Something flashed in Scott’s eyes. A spark of anger. Or exasperation.

“Oh my God. Reyes. Don’t tell me you were jealous.”

“Jealous?” he asked innocently, but Scott wasn’t fooled.

“God, you were, you were jealous of Gil!” Scott slipped out of his grasp, his whole body language telling Reyes how furious he was. “This is so unfair! We’re not even dating!”

The words felt like a slap across Reyes’ cheek.

“Ah.” The answer to the question he’d been too scared to ask. Precisely because he’d feared that the answer would be like that, the reality as harsh as winter on Voeld.

Scott blinked in surprise, reading far more from his not-so-perfect poker face than Reyes wanted.

“Reyes, do you…”

“It’s okay.” Reyes shook his head, not letting him finish. “I just wanted to know where we stand. I don’t mind being just a side fling to you.” Lies, lies, lies, he minded and he minded a lot, his heart being torn to shreds.

“S-side fling?” Scott echoed.

Reyes released him and took a step back.

“You can return to Gil now if you want, I won’t bother you anymore.”

Reyes couldn’t look him in the eye. It hurt too much. He turned around, wanting to leave the storage room.

A tight grip on his arm stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Reyes, there’s nobody else in my life,” Scott said forcefully to make him understand. “I’m not seeing anyone else. And I don’t want to.”

It was Reyes’ turn to blink in surprise.

“But I thought… You and Gil?”

“There’s nothing between us. He was drunk and we danced. That’s it,” he insisted. Then his voice became much more timid. “And… do you have someone else, Reyes?”

“Of course not,” he huffed, insulted at how preposterous the idea of finding anyone better than Scott was.

The pause stretched. They did nothing but stare at one another, puzzles slowly falling into place.

“I thought that… that I was just a distraction to you,” said Scott. “That you didn't treat what we have seriously.”

Reyes almost laughed, hearing his own thoughts thrown back at him. Almost. What idiots they were.

“Scott, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the Initiative. Why do you think I came to Meridian?”

Scott’s beautiful eyes widened. Things finally clicked inside his mind. Reyes watched how a blush crept up from his neck to his cheeks.

“Saving the galaxy?” Scott asked, letting out a little, awkward titter. Reyes had never seen him more handsome.

“In a way.” Reyes took his hand and pressed a kiss to his bruised knuckles, delicate and gallant like a knight of old. “You're my galaxy. You’re the brightest star.”

Scott’s Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed hard, the blush now crimson.

“I… I had no idea…” he trailed off, embarrassed. But he didn’t step away, didn’t try to put any distance between them. On the contrary, his body leaned closer towards Reyes. “You really want… this?”

“I want everything you want to give.” Reyes put his other hand on Scott’s cheek, cupping his face, thumb brushing lightly against the soft skin. He could feel Scott’s breath hitch, the questioning look on his face melting as all his doubts dissolved.

For a moment they just looked at one another, saying without words more than any words could ever say. Then Scott closed his eyes and kissed him, arms locking him in a tight embrace. Reyes’ whole body seemed to be on fire. He’d wanted it for so long, the longing making the reunion all the sweeter. His hands wandered along Scott’s back, their lips joined, their tongues in sweet caress that was slowly gaining heat. When Scott moaned Reyes knew he couldn’t hold on for much longer.

“I want you,” he all but growled, emotions running high.

“Yes!” came an enthusiastic reply.

That was all he needed. With a soft groan, he lifted Scott in the air. The surprised, undignified squawk the Pathfinder let out was promptly muffled with a kiss as Reyes sat him down on a crate. It wobbled a little, causing them both to laugh. They were high on joy and lust, their lips and hands eager as they fumbled with each other’s zippers. Reyes managed first, coiling his fingers around Scott’s half-hard shaft. He felt how Scott grew in his hand, encouraged by a few well-measured strokes. Reyes lost his steady rhythm the moment Scott touched him in the most sensitive spot, his fingertips tingling with purplish biotic aura. Kissing, caressing, breath mingling, they pleasured one another, the need to keep quiet not cheapening the experience. Scott came first, peels of cum staining Reyes’ clothes. He barely noticed, lost in his own release.

Forehead resting against forehead, they panted, similar satisfied smiles curving both their lips.

“Good luck coming up with innocuous reasons for the stains on your shirt,” Reyes chuckled, relishing the guffaw his comment prompted.

“I’m the human Pathfinder, I do what I want,” he said, all his youthful bravado and cockiness coloring the kiss he then offered with fervor.

“So, my dear Pathfinder… Boyfriends?”

“Mhm…” The smile on Scott’s face was relaxed, happy. “That or partners in crime. I’m fine with both.”

“So am I.”

They kissed again, wrapped up in their own happy bubble. Andromeda could wait a little longer.

 

 

 


End file.
